An ideal percutaneous PE thrombectomy catheter should be: 1) highly maneuverable to allow rapid right heart passage and advancement into major pulmonary arteries, 2) effective in removing obstructing thrombi from major pulmonary arteries to facilitate rapid improvement in hemodynamics, reversing right heart failure and cardiogenic shock, and 3) safe without causing damage to cardiac structures and pulmonary arteries, and without causing significant blood loss, distal thrombus embolization, and mechanical hemolysis. An ideal PE thrombectomy catheter device is currently not available.